Lilly accepts committee recommendation to extend evacetrapib study by six months

US drug major Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) has accepted the recommendation of the ACCELERATE study academic executive committee to extend its Phase III trial of evacetrapib by six months.

The decision is based on emerging cardiovascular science, not any data from the ACCELERATE study, since the academic committee and the company remain blinded to efficacy data.

The committee based its recommendation on analysis of recent results from other drugs being studied to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events, and both it and Lilly believe longer treatment will allow appropriate testing of the trial’s hypothesis, which is that evacetrapib added to statins can reduce these events compared to statins alone.